The Pittsburgh Steelers have a lot to figure out along their offensive line between now and the beginning of September when the regular season gets underway. The assumption is that both OT Troy Fautanu and C Zach Frazier will become starters at some point early in their rookie seasons, but their level of preparedness on display at training camp in July will dictate whether that is Week 1 or later. The offensive tackle situation is a little more complicated as Fautanu would have to outperform incumbent LT Dan Moore Jr.
There is an extra layer of complexity with the tackle competition because Moore has more or less dubbed himself a pure left tackle by saying he feels out of his comfort zone on the right side. The Steelers tipped their hand earlier in the offseason when general manager Omar Khan stated that they drafted Jones to be a left tackle and that he will eventually end up back there. Then they turned around and drafted Fautanu, who played almost exclusively on the left side in college.
According to The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly on X, Fautanu told the media he expects to start out at right tackle during training camp.
This isn’t a huge surprise given Khan’s comments on Jones and seeing what the Steelers have done throughout OTAs and minicamp. Most of the clips that have surfaced from practices have shown Fautanu playing primarily on the right side with Jones playing a little of both. The Steelers are at least preparing for the possibility that they might have to roll out last year’s configuration of Moore on the left and Jones on the right to start out the season if Fautanu isn’t ready.
During some of the first OTA practices a few weeks ago, Fautanu admitted that practice had been rough. He is still adjusting to NFL competition. Players are bigger and faster than the average competition the Washington product was going against in the Pac-12. That is to be expected, but at least part of the struggle is likely due to him switching sides. The footwork and the hands are all flipped, and it can take time for players to get used to that change.
Via a clip posted by 93.7 The Fan, Fautanu confirmed his expectations to play right tackle.
“I kind of just leave that up to the coaches,” Fautanu said. “I’m pretty sure I’ll be sticking at right, competing for whatever position they may throw at me. So I’m just ready for whatever opportunity.”
Fautanu started 29 games at left tackle in college and is entering the league with more experience than Jones had coming out. This doesn’t guarantee that Fautanu ends up on the right side, but it sure seems to be trending that way.
